Caching media is a well-known technique for improving access times and optimizing bandwidth usage in telecommunication or enterprise networks. A cache uses a block of memory, such as disk space or other storage device, to temporarily store a copy of some data that is likely to be needed in the future.
When cache clients (i.e., entities that need data, such as computers or mobile terminals) try to access some data, they check the cache first. If the necessary data is available in the cache (“cache hit”) then the cached copy is used. If the data is not found in the cache (“cache miss”) then it is downloaded from the original source. In the case if a cache miss, a copy of the data is temporarily stored in the cache, for later access.
When new data is stored in a cache, often some previously cached data has to be removed in order to free up storage capacity. The strategies that determine what of the old data should be removed are called caching algorithms or caching replacement algorithms. Any improvements in caching which increases accuracy is of great benefit. This will provide more hits and fewer misses, which improves performance and reduces network congestion.